Stealing Memories
by TehFallenOne
Summary: Cream walks home from her 11th birthday party at Amy's house when encounters an unknown hedgehog, and afterwards, she doesn't remember anything about Sonic or her friends, or of the encounter. Rated T for character death, gore, and swearing.


It's the evening, the sky is orange and the sun is just barely touching the horizon. Cream, skips merrily through Green Hill Zone to get home after spending the day with Amy, to celebrate the former's eleventh birthday, carrying a basket full of treats that Amy baked for the little rabbit. She hums happily as she stops to smell one of the spinning sunflowers. As she starts to continue back on her way, a burst of wind knocks cream on her back. _How could that've happened? The wind hasn't blown for a week._She says to herself mentally.

"So someone must've run by me. Was it Mr. Sonic? No, he would've come back and apologized. It was probably Mr. Shadow, he's the only other person who can run that fast, and he isn't nice enough to come back and apologize," she thinks aloud.

"Chao chao," Cheese, Creams pet chao, cries. Cream looks down to see that she's sitting on Cheese's leg.

"Oh Cheese, I'm so sorry," she gasps, getting off of her pet quickly. She leans over to look at Cheese's leg, which she found was swollen and a deep purple. "Oh my! Here, Cheese, I'll carry you home. Mommy will know what to do." As she scooped up the little blue animal, a large, male hedgehog shaped shadow overlapped her own. The startled rabbit turned to face the hedgehog, expecting to see Sonic or Shadow, but instead she was facing a white hedgehog with many short quills, narrow grey eyes that were outlined by black fur, red gloves with a black stripe running down the middle, and matching red shoes with a black stripe running down the length.

"Hey, I ran into you just a moment ago. Sorry about that. Do you need any help?" the stranger asks in a voice just deeper, and more more abrasive sounding, than Shadow's.

"Yes sir. When I fell over, I landed on my chao Cheese. I think his leg is sprained and I need to get him home soon," Cream states in a panic.

" Alright, I can get you home quick. Which way?" the hedgehog says.

"About a half mile west," Cream says quickly. The white furred hedgehog picks up Cream, who is holding Cheese delicately, and lifts her over his shoulder. The hedgehog then takes off at speeds close to, if not equal to, Sonic and Shadow. Just as Cream's house comes into view, the white hedgehog trips on a fallen branch and the two go up five feet into the air. Cream lands legs first with a sickening crack, and the white hedgehog lands perfectly. Cream yelps in pain as she finds her left leg bent at an unhealthy angle.

"Oh sh… Hold still, I can make you feel better," the hedgehog says.

"Oww! How can you make this feel better?" Cream groans in pain. The hedgehog pulls a Chaos Emerald from some mysterious place behind his back.

"Stay still," the hedgehog says, his voice suddenly becoming threatening, as he lifts up Cream by her face. The whites of the hedgehog's eyes turn black and his blue irises turn red. He holds the Chaos Emerald to her face and a pale blue mist comes out of her eyes and goes into his own. Cream tries to struggle as she feels her mind slipping away, mostly memories of Sonic and friends, as well as memories of the hedgehog with draining them. The mental draining fatigues Cream and she passes out, though the Chaos Emerald heals Cream's leg. The hedgehog's eyes turn a cyan blue and his fur fades into a grassy green. He then carries the unconsious Cream and the frightened Cheese to their home. He uses his foot to knock on the door. Vanilla answers the door, and gasps when she see's her daughter out cold.

"Oh my God! Sir, what happened to my baby?" Vanilla exclaims, ushering the hedgehog in.

"I found her about a half mile away from here. She tripped going down a hill and sprained her ankle, I think. Fell asleep while I carried her here. Her chao has a sprained ankle, but it'll be fine," he says flatly, with no subconsious "tell" visible. He places Cream on the couch of the homey little cottage. The light green hedgehog then turns to leave, but stops when Vanilla puts her hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, may I know your name?" she asks. The hedgehog pauses for a moment, then replies.

"Leif," he states simply.

"Well, Leif, would you like a glass of iced tea?" Vanilla offers tenderly.

"Thank you for asking ma'am, but I'm expected to see a friend in Marble Zone," Leif says bluntly, sounding irritated. His deeper, more threatening voice intimidates Vanilla into letting him leave without another word. She turns to Cream and holds her hand tightly as Leif disappears into the horizon.

* * *

><p>"Hey Tails! Vanilla called, said she needs us to come to her place now!" Sonic yells to his little bro, who is currently working on an engine with slots that look big enough to fit Chaos Emeralds.<p>

"'Kay, be there in a sec," Tails responds. He leaves everything out where he can find it for when he returns. He goes to put on a clean pair of gloves, set aside his goggles, and clean oil out of his fur quickly. The two then take off at top speed for Green Hill Zone. They arrive at Vanilla's house and see the single mother sitting outside the cottage with her daughter, wringing her hands stressed.

"So, what's up Vanilla?" Sonic asks. Cheese stares at Sonic and Tails quizically.

"Mommy, who are these people, and why do they know your name?" the little rabbit asks nervously.

"Cream, quit playing around. You know very well who we are," Tails says, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Mommy, how do they know my name?" Cream asks, hiding behind her mother.

"She tripped and fell in the woods on her way back from Amy's. A green hedgehog carried her in, but she doesn't remember him, or you." Vanilla mutters sadly. "She doesn't remember you, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, or any of the others."

"Well then, we'll have to ask this hedgehog if he knows anything. Do you know where he went?" Tails asks, an inferno in his eye.

"He said he was going to meet a friend in Marble Zone, then he took off just as fast as Sonic," Vanilla answers. Sonic raises an eyebrow at this.

"This just got interesting," he says, a smug grin on his face. He grabs Tails by the wrist and takes off at top speed.

"NICE TO SEE YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Tails shouts, his world going sideways.

* * *

><p>"Man, Marble Zone. Haven't been here in ages. Good times," Sonic says, caught up in nostalgia.<p>

"I don't think we should spend time on a trip through memory lane," Tails mutters in irritation.

"Hey, don't worry about it. We'll figure this out in a snap," Sonic retorts, snapping his fingers for emphasis. Tails sighs in defeat, facepalming. "Tails, look. A trail, with footprints! Can you tell how old they are?"

"Sonic, I'm a mechanic, not a survivalist. Let me see," Tails groans. "They look pretty fresh to me, probably about an hour, hour and a half at most."

"And you said you aren't a survivalist. C'mon," Sonic says sarcastically. The two follow the footprints to a small temple where they find Eggman's Egg-Mobile. "So it looks like that egghead has something to do with this, but what?"

"H-help," a weak, raspy voice calls out from inside the temple. Sonic and Tails charge up the stairs to find Eggman himself, who's face is pale and aged, laying on the ground surrounded by wrecked robots. "So you finally make it here. What took you so long , you rat?"

"Hey, I'm a hedgehog, Egghead. What happened here?" Sonic asks. Eggman sighs, and props himself up on a EggRobo's lance.

"That green hedgehog. He makes Shadow look like a pussy," he says, shaking his head, "He said his name was Leif. He sent me a message saying that he found a way to take you out, and that he'd tell me in exchange for my two chaos emeralds. I brought my robots, I was going to get the info from him, then have my robots take care of him. The moment he knew the robots were there, he used Chaos Control and took them out faster than I've seen even Shadow do. Then he took my Emeralds and tried to do something to my head. Can't remember much about you, back when I was still stealing animals, or him. Fortunately I had planned for the destruction of my robots and trapped the temple with the shock pads like I used on Knuckles when he chased me to Gimmie shelter with the Gizoid. I could barely move, but I managed to use the trigger to the shock pads, but it got us both. He somehow used Chaos Control to escape with my Emeralds."

"Why isn't the shockpad still zapping you?" Tail's asks, taking a look at the well hidden piece of tech.

"It ran out of power just before you got here," Eggman grunts as he gets to a wobbly standing position. "I need to get out of here, anywhere but here."

"Do you know where this 'Leif' went?" Sonic asks, blocking Eggman's way to his Egg-Mobile.

"Said something about 'that annoying pink hedgehog'. My guess is that he's going for your little girlfriend," Eggman says cynically, walking around Sonic. As Eggman hobbles to his iconic hovercraft, Sonic and Tails head off to Central City to try and save Amy.

* * *

><p>Amy sat in her cozy apartment, making a get well soon cake for Cream. As she slides the bowl of ingredients to her oven she walks into her living room filled with Sonic rugs, Sonic pillows, Sonic pictures, and drawers with pictures of herself on the top. She sighs dreamily as she gazes at a photo of Sonic, one of many. <em>Why won't he marry me? He must keep getting cold feet.<em>She's snapped out of her thought process by loud BAM of her door being kicked in.

"Amy? You okay?" Sonic shouts, rushing into the room with Tails. Amy jumps up into Sonic's arms.

"Sonic! I knew you'd come for me! Where's my ring?" Amy yells ecstatically. Sonic's worried expression drops to an irritated one.

"Amy. I came here because there's someone who attacked Cream and Eggman," Sonic says dryly.

"Oh, no you don't, Sonic. I'm gonna marry you if I have to drag you to the altar. Don't try to make up stories to get out of marrying me," Amy scolds, giving sonic a death glare.

"Amy, it's serious. There's a green hedgehog going around stealing people's memories," Tails exclaims. The pink hedgehog turns to Tails with a look of confusion.

"Then why did you come here? You should be chasing this thief," Amy says.

"'Cause we thought he was coming for you next," Sonic explains.

"Well, I'm perfectly safe. I mean, seriously, do you see a green hedgehog pulling out my brains?" Amy chuckles.

"Actually, he apparently steals the memories using a Chaos Emerald," Tails states.

"I don't get it. Chaos Emeralds are supposed to control time and space. How can they steal memories?" Amy asks.

"Actually, Chaos Emeralds act as conduits for a limited reservoir of Chaos Energy, which the user can manipulate to make whatever the user wishes happen," Tails explains.

"So, they could make Sonic marry me?" Amy asks, leaning into Sonic's personal space.

"No. Chaos Energy cannot control a living being," Tails replies.

"So then, if this green hedgehog, who can use a Chaos Emerald to take the memories of a person, isn't after me, then who is he after?" Amy asks rhetorically, "Knuckles?" Everybody then goes wide eyed at the revelation.

"We gotta' get to Angel Island!" Sonic yells.

* * *

><p>Knuckles feels exhaustion blurring the outer edges of his vision, repeatedly slapping himself to stay awake. Suddenly, his half sleeping stupor is broken by the sound of a being coming out of Chaos Control. The red echidna jumps to his feet, spiked fists prepared for combat.<p>

"Shadow, that you?" he probes quietly.

"No. Worse," a voice that sends shivers down Knuckles' spine.

"Where are you? Show yourself," Knuckles demands, rage growing.

"Heh, alright. Not like I'm trying to keep secrets," the voice says again. A green hedgehog that Knuckles doesn't recognize walks out from behind the Master Emerald. "Now, you have something I want. You're going to give it to me, or I'll beat it out of you," Leif orders.

"Like hell, I'm not giving you the Master Emerald," Knuckles roars, charging the intruder. Leif smirks, and easily sidesteps the rage fueled assault. Leif kicks the angry echidna in the ribs, sending him flying into one of the stone pillars on the Master Emerald's altar.

"I'm not after that gigantic chunk of rock. I'll get it in due time. I want your Chaos Emerald, and your memories," Leif states. "Now, stay still while I drain your memories, and maybe I'll leave your mind intact."

"You know what? Blow it out of your ass," Knuckles grunts as he pulls himself out of the rubble. He pulls a Chaos Emerald. "Let's do this!" The red echidna charges Leif once again, this time leaping over the green hedgehog's head to land behind him and deliver a solid punch to the spine. This punch sends Leif flying off of the altar. The hedgehog uses a midair spin-dash to catch himself. He pulls out a Chaos Emerald and tosses it up and down, taunting the Guardian of the Master Emerald. Leif uses the power of the Emerald to charge Knuckles with a hypersonic spin-dash. Knuckles uses his own emerald to activate Chaos Control. Time slows down around Knuckles as he calmly walks to the side of the slowed hedgehog. He catches Leif by the arm and spins the hedgehog around. The echidna lets go of his enemy's arm, sending Leif flying into a mountainside with bone crushing force. Leif drags himself out of the massive crater in the mountain, and observes his injuries. A bone is protruding out of one arm, his knee is shattered, and his jaw is dislocated. The bloodstained hedgehog chuckles, and pulls out his other two Emeralds. The three Chaos Emeralds spin around Leif, going so fast that they look more like swirling balls of energy. Leif's wounds heal, though he is not brought back to full strength.

"Very good, very good indeed, but can you stand up to this?" the hedgehog laughs sinisterly. The Emeralds are now spinning so fast that Leif can't be seen behind them. The glowing ball of light explodes into a bright flare, blinding Knuckles. When the smoke clears, the emeralds are gone, and Leif is encompassed in a black aura, his fur turned grey, his eyes completely black, and his outfit pure white. Sweat rolls down Knuckles' brow as a purple ball of energy appears in Leif's hand. The echidna focuses his energy, the Chaos Emerald spinning around him just like Leif's Emeralds did. Knuckles also draws energy from Angel Island itself. Leif's energy attack grows to the size of the Master Emerald, though the powered up hedgehog still lets the energy charge. Knuckles' power reaches its peak, and the echidna is enveloped in a red aura. The purple ball of energy reaches the size of the altar.

"CHAOS RIFT!" Leif roars, firing the purple energy ball directly at Knuckles. The empowered echidna charges straight at the ball, his own elemental energy charging in his hands. Knuckles stops just before the energy ball impacts with his body, and smacks it downwards with an elementally enhanced punch. The echidna smirks as it spirals down to the ground. When the blast hits the ground, instead of exploding , it shrink.

"That was your ultimate attack? That was weak," Knuckle laughs. The red guardian's taunting is cut short as the ball of energy turns into a small black hole and starts pulling in chunks of the environment. Knuckles panics when he sees the Master Emerald leaning towards the rift, knowing that if the Emerald were destroyed, it would cause disaster. He flies down to the Master Emerald and uses his own body to stop it from flying into the rift. The black hole dies out with an explosion, knocking Knuckles into the Master Emerald. He pulls himself up, his burst of energy gone. Gassed out, his Chaos Emerald clatters to the ground, and he drops to his knees in exhaustion. Leif takes the opportunity to take the Chaos Emerald for himself, and then grabs Knuckles by the face. The hedgehog holds up the Chaos Emerald and wispy blue energy transfers from Knuckles' eyes to Leif's. After spending five minutes draining Knuckles of his memory and power, he throws the defeated echidna off of the Master Emerald's altar. Leif returns to normal, and dusts out his quills, confidant in his victory. The hedgehog goes through change similar to the one he did as he drained Cream. The whites of his eyes turn black, and his blue irises turn red. The altered hedgehog looks up as a biplane flies overhead. He notices something glowing in the front of it.

"Those fools are bringing a Chaos Emerald right to me. This is like fucking Christmas," Leif says, his voice possessing a deep growl. The hedgehog holds up his battle trophy and teleports away.

* * *

><p>Leif stands on top of one of the pillars of the Master Emerald altar as he awaits for Sonic, Tails, and Amy to arrive. The biplane lands near the altar, and Tails, Amy, and Sonic jump out. Tails sees Knuckles laying on the ground in front of the altar. He and Amy head to check on the unconscious echidna as Sonic stares at Leif.<p>

"So you're the one causing all of this? You're not what I expected," Sonic says, chuckling to himself. The green hedgehog teleports down from his perch to right in front of Sonic. Leif smirks, moving to kick Sonic, who dodges without trouble. The green hedgehog's sneer is replaced by an irritated scowl as he watches Sonic wags his finger mockingly.

"Well, if you're not going to face me head on, I guess I'll turn my attention to your little friends. I wonder if they'll be fast enough to dodge a Chaos Blaze?" the villainous hedgehog says, a red energy charging in his hands. He launches the blast of energy as it reaches the size of a Chaos Emerald. Tails and Amy raise their arms as if it'll ward away the blast. Just before the energy attack destroys the two bystanders, it's deflected by a wave of blue energy.

"Hey, Leif! Your fight's with me," Sonic says. Using his speed to get in the green hedgehog's face. Leif smirks, and punches Sonic in the stomach.

"Don't try that shit, I've got the knowledge of your weaknesses from your friends, and your greatest enemy as well," the violent hedgehog gloats.

"Hey! You get away from my Sonic," Amy shouts, charging Leif with her hammer. She takes a wild swing that the green hedgehog easily dodges, moving so fast he can't be seen. Leif appears right behind her, a Chaos Emerald in hand. The doubled over Sonic sees this and goes in for a kick to the face. The intended target catches Sonic by the leg and uses him to hit Amy three times, the third time knocking the pink hedgehog to the ground. Leif throws the dazed Sonic aside and picks Amy up by her face. The Chaos Emerald glows, and Amy's memories are transferred to the green hedgehog. Sonic watches as he struggles to get on his feet. The cobalt hedgehog watches as Amy is tossed aside like a rag doll, while Tails is charging up behind Leif. The young kitsune strikes the green hedgehog in the back of the head. Leif doesn't even react, but the green fiend turns to face the young one who struck him.

"You should really learn when to not get involved, kid," he says. Leif grabs Tails by the throat and flies straight up. The hedgehog throws the kitsune to the ground, making a crater. Leif then charges down into the young boy, driving him deeper into the island. "CHAOS BLAST!"

"Son-" Tails is cut off by a large red explosion enveloping him. Sonic reaches out in vain, as if it would heal Amy and Tails.

"Your pet fox really shouldn't have tried to stop me. Now his memories are mine as well," Leif cackles evilly as he drains the barley alive Tails' memories. He throws the young boy into his beloved plane, wrecking the machine beyond repair. Sonic drops to the ground and starts pounding his fists into the ground.

"No! No no no! You bastard," Sonic yells, a black energy enveloping him. The cobalt hedgehog turns black, his eyes go entirely white, and a black aura builds around him.

"What's this?" Leif shouts, the dark energy making the ground crack. Sonic, now completely consumed by rage, lunges at Leif and easily strikes the once cocky villain. The blow sends Leif flying into the wreckage of the X-Tornado. Leif takes the opportunity and swipes the Chaos Emerald that was being used to power the plane. "So long, Sonic." With that farewell, Leif escapes using Chaos Control.

"Come back here coward," Dark Sonic roars. On the sidelines, Knuckles regains consciousness. He takes a look around, finding the scene horrid. The wounded echidna manages to hobble over to Tails. Knuckles helps him up, then goes to help Amy. Sonic sees his friends alive and well, and returns to normal. "Knuckles, Tails, Amy…" he brings his three friends into a protective embrace.

* * *

><p>"Hey Vector! We're outta chips! Did you eat 'em all?" Charmy Bee shouts across the room, to his friend, Vector the Crocodile. The third member of the Chaotix, Espio the Chameleon, stands watching over the team's Chaos Emerald.<p>

"No, you ate the last of 'em last night," Vector says coldly. As Charmy starts to tear up, a bright flash of light engulfs the room, startling the three. The detectives stand face to face with Leif, who's appearance has changed once more. Leif's fur is now a very deep green, his eyes are entirely black, and his teeth are now fangs. The green hedgehog grabs the young bee by his neck.

"Where's the Chaos Emerald, runt?" he snarls in a menacing voice.

"Vector! Help!" Charmy screams. Leif pulls out a Chaos Emerald, and the blue mist representing memory starts drainging from Charmy. Before Leif can even get a split second of a memory, he's slammed into the wall by Vector.

"Kid, get outta' here," the muscular crocodile orders.

"No, Vector! I can't leave you here," Charmy cries out.

"Dammit' boy. This isn't time to argu-ack," Vector is cut off by a blade made of Chaos Energy slicing his lung. Leif lifts the hefty crocodile into the air, and starts draining his memory. The green hedgehog cackles as he splits the soft hearted detective in two right in front of Charmy. Espio puts himself between Leif and Charmy.

"If you want to hurt Charmy, you're gonna' have to go through me," the purple chameleon says, his voice full of determination. Leif smirks confidently, then punches Espio in the ribs, shattering many of them. "Ch-Charmy. Ru-" The chameleon is cut off by his head being pierced by a Chaos Blade. The green hedgehog lets the dead chameleon fall to the floor. Charmy takes off running. The young boy jumps through a window and starts flying as fast as he can. Leif looks out the window, smirks, and fires a small ball of Chaos Energy that causes a huge explosion.

"Now that I've taken care of that inconvenience, time to move on to more pressing matters. The Chaos Emerald," the green hedgehog says, taking his sixth Chaos Emerald. "Just one more and I'll reach my true form. Then, not even an army of Super Sonics, could defeat me." The villanous hedgehog laughs evilly as he grasps the Chaos Emerald and feels the Chaos Energy coursing through his body.

* * *

><p>"C'mon guys. The news said there was a disturbance at the Chaotix's place. Some fighting and an explosion, I think," Sonic says, leading Tails, who has an improperly set arm, meaning he won't be able to work on machines for a long time, Knuckles, who has a broken rib,and Amy, whose lip was split in the fight, to the Chaotix Headquarters. From inside comes gentle sobbing.<p>

"Someone's in there. Let's go," Knuckles says brashly, barging through the front door. The group rushes in to find Charmy crying over the mangled bodies of Vector and Espio. Tails and Amy fight to keep from throwing up as Sonic pulls the frightened bee into a caring hug.

"Shh. Don't worry Charmy, it's alright. Leif's gone," Sonic says. Charmy sniffles as he tries to hold back tears. Sonic takes a good look at the lone survivor. His wings are burnt and will likely never heal back properly, his goggles are shattered and the glass is clinging to his head., and he's got first degree burns all over his back. "What happened?"

"A green hedgehog appeared out of nowhere. He sliced Vector in half with some kind of sword made of Chaos Energy, then he stabbed Espio in the head . I tried to run, but he hit me with some kind of Chaos Spear or something. He took, our Chaos Emerald and left," Charmy says, tears pooling in his eyes.

"Shh, shh, shh. Don't worry, we'll stop Leif. We already know who his next target is," Sonic says confidently.

* * *

><p>"Yeah, let's show him the real super power of team work!"<p>

Rouge tends the main floor of her nightclub, enjoying being able to blend into the crowd and get lost in the music. She spots Omega and Shadow in the catwalks above the dance floor. Just as she leans against the bar, the front door comes crashing in, killing several patrons and wounding several others.

"You, bouncer! Get everyone out through the back entrance! I'll deal with this," the albino bat barks. The muscular bouncer nods and does his best to usher the panicking crowd into the service hallways. Omega and Shadow jump down from the catwalks and join Rouge. The trio comes face to face with the fiend who has been terrorizing Mobius for the past three days, Leif.

"Organic entity. Detecting several familiar DNA signatures. Heavy DNA signatures of hedgehog, moderate black arms DNA, and some echidna DNA. Significant levels of Chaos Energy detected, as well as six Chaos Emeralds. I will handle this," Omega states in his robotic monotone. His hands retract into his arms and are replaced by a Gatling gun and missile launcher.

"Heh, do you think your mundane weapons will defeat me?" Leif roars, his body becoming enveloped in a red aura.

"CHAOS CONTROL." The two hedgehogs shout in unison. Time slows to a crawl for Shadow, but for some reason, his enemy is nowhere in turns to his friends to see Omega being torn apart by an invisible enemy. Time returns to normal, and all that's left of Omega is his head above a pile of scrap metal.

"Critical error… error… error…" the "dead" Omega repeats, his voice fading as if it was being turned off. The green hedgehog responsible then moves to Rouge, who uses her sonic screech to drive back her assailant, to no avail. Leif backhands the albino bat, sending her flying into a wall.

"No!" Shadow shouts, rage building. The black hedgehog slowly removes the wrings on his gloves, allowing him to tap into his deeper powers. Shadow's body is enveloped by red energy, and his eyes glowing entirely red. Leif turns to Dark Shadow, his own eyes glowing red. The two close the small distance between each other and go into a high speed slug-fest, each punch thrown being blocked and each kick attempted gets deflected. Shadow's rage gets the better of him as he goes for a Chaos enhanced punch, which his opponent easily dodges. The green hedgehog grabs Shadow's arm, spins the Ultimate Life Form around in circles, and slams him into a wall. As the defeated hedgehog returns to normal, Leif collects the final Chaos Emerald.

"Finally, I've got all the Chaos Emeralds," he says, an evil sneer on his face. The victorious hedgehog writes a message on the wall with Omega's oil. _Meet me back on Angel Island, at the Master Emerald's altar. I'll kill you Sonic!_

* * *

><p>Sonic and friends step into the wreckage of Club Rouge, hoping to find a beaten Leif and Team Dark victorious, but instead they walk in just as Leif teleports away with all seven Chaos Emeralds. Sonic sees the green hedgehog smirk as he vanishes in a bright flash of light. Amy gasps, hands over her mouth, when she sees Shadow and Rouge thrown through walls, and Omega torn to pieces. Tails runs to the destroyed robot to try and salvage data from his memory while Sonic and Knuckles pull Shadow and Rouge out of the walls. The black hedgehog's eyes snap open, his eyes turning red.<p>

"That bastard's a dead man," he roars, fighting his way out of Sonic's grip.

"Shadow, calm down. He's gone," the cobalt hero says. Shadow's cools off and looks around, assessing the damage. Rouge pulls herself, dazedly, to her feet.

"What hit me? Last thing I remember was a green hedgehog tearing the club a new one," she groans, shaking her head.

"He used Chaos Control. Tore Omega to bits, smashed you into the wall, and stole the my emerald," Shadow says bluntly. Tails manages to pull a large data-board out of Omega's head. "Don't bother, kid. I already know what I need to know."

"Alright then, what do you know?" Tails asks, setting down the data-board.

"He's some kind of a freak. Hedgehog, Black Arms, and echidna. Don't know how or why, but he's just dug himself a grave he'll never dig himself out of," the ebony hedgehog growls.

"Angel Island, huh? Let's do this," Sonic says. Shadow hold his hand up and the group disappears in a bright flash of light.

* * *

><p>"Took your sweet time, didn't you?" Leif says as the group appears on Angel Island, in front of the Master Emerald's altar.<p>

"Sorry, had to clean up your messes," Sonic shouts defiantly. Leif smirks and holds up the Chaos Emerald he stole from Shadow. A black energy surrounds the green hedgehog, and he turns entirely black, his eyes fully red. The transformed beast smirks as he uses his speed to appear in front of the group. Sonic throws hyper-sonic punch, but Leif catches his fist easily and body slams him. Tails and Knuckles rush the shadowy hedgehog with a tornado spin. Tails throws the red echidna at Leif, who catches him and throws the echidna back. The two fly off to the side as Amy swings with her hammer. The instrument of pain shatters on contact, and Leif knocks her away with a kick to the chest. Charmy manages to stab the murderer of his friends through the shoulder with his stinger. Leif scowls, grabs the bee by the head, and starts spinning him around like a windmill. The villain slams Charmy into the ground. Rouge tries to hit Leif with a her whirlwind kick, but the hedgehog dodges using Chaos Control, sending the bat flying into one of the pillars of the altar. Shadow scowls and takes off the Inhibitor Rings on his gloves. Shadow is enveloped in a red aura. The enraged hedgehog charges, and the two fly up into the air as they fight, clashing with Homing Attacks at random intervals. Shadow manages to get a lucky hit on Leif, sending the evil Hedgehog flying. Shadow follows up by charging Leif, sending him into the ground. With a hand on Leif's throat, Shadow lets loose with an explosion of rage.

"CHAOS BLAST!"

The mountain is blown away by the explosion. When the dust settles, Shadow is laying face down in the dirt, exhausted. Leif, however, remains standing, though he is in very clear pain. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles get up from their beat-downs and rush to the crater to find Leif, his foot on Shadow's head, charging a purple ball of energy in his hand. Sonic manages to hit Leif in the back of the head with a homing attack, sending the hedgehog flying. Sonic follows up with a string of homing attacks that send Leif flying off of the edge of Angel Island with the seven Chaos Emeralds.

"Heh, I did it guys!" the cobalt hero shouts. Tails jumps with joy while Knuckles smiles at his friend. Shadow pulls himself to his feet dazedly.

"Well then, I'm going to fix the damage done to the island," the echidna says, walking towards the Master Emerald's altar.

"'Kay. Tails, let's get Amy and go home little bro," Sonic says.

"Yeah!" Tails shouts. The two head off with Knuckles, with Shadow following shortly.

* * *

><p>Leif stands on a rocky platform in the badlands of South Island, just under Angel Island, the seven Chaos Emeralds in hand. The evil hedgehog smirks as he applauds himself for such good acting.<p>

"Just let that fool think I'm dead. Wait and see Sonic, wait and see," the villain chuckles. The Chaos Emeralds float around Leif, gaining speed as their energy pools into the hedgehog's body. Leif's body reaches its maximum energy level and the evil hedgehog disappears in a bright flash of light.

Sonic and friends arrive at the Master Emerald's altar, only to find the place destroyed, and their friends nowhere in sight.

"What the hell?" Knuckles roars. The only structure left standing is the Master Emerald's podium, and Leif stands on top of the powerful artifact. The evil hedgehog's appearance has changed. His fur is pale yellow and his eyes are entirely green.

"What do you think of my Super Form, Sonic?" the villain says, laughing evilly. Sonic scowls, frustrated.

"Sonic, what do we do now?" Tails says, backing away.

"Destroy him. We'll avenge the lives lost in his rampage," Sonic declares triumphantly.

"So, you think you can defeat me? My God, you're foolish, Sonic," Leif laughs, "I think you've earned the truth from me. As you may already know, I'm made up of hedgehog, Black Arms, and echidna DNA. I'm not some freakish crossbreed caused by mindless mating. After all, Knuckles is the only known echidna in existence today. I am a being built by hand. Built to kill, to absorb power, and ultimately, to eliminate you. I've no morals, no conscience, and nothing holding me back." The evil hedgehog sneers as he lets loose with a wave of power, tearing the environment around the Master Emerald apart even further.

"What?" Sonic yells, stress cracking through the cobalt hedgehog's normally mellow exterior. Leif smirks, then dashes to Knuckles, leaving an after-shadow effect. The red guardian punches Leif in the face, though the evil hedgehog gives no reaction except for a smirk. Leif responds with a punch to the stomach that sends the red echidna flying. The evil hedgehog turns to Tails, a devilish smile across his face. Leif grabs the kid's wounded arm, smirking all the while, and breaks it. The evil hedgehog watches as the kitsune screams, cliche evil smile glued to his face. He kicks Tails aside easily. Shadow pulls out a pistol, which he somehow kept hidden the entire fight, and holds it to Leif's head.

"Surrender to your foolishness, or I'll blow you away," Shadow orders, scowling. Sonic shakes his head and facepalms. _Is he serious?_Leif looks back with a cocky grin, disappearing into thin air. Shadow's eyes widen, the Ultimate Life Form feeling something he's never felt before, fear. The black hedgehog is driven into the ground from above, a spin dash shaving his quills slightly. Sonic backs up, surprise and fear building higher and higher. His eyes widen when he figures out an ace the hole. The cobalt hero focuses his mind on the Master Emerald, and the giant green gem slowly floats into the air. His body is filled to the limit with energy, and it turns Sonic into his hyper form, his body changing colors rapidly. Leif comes out of the crater he made and stares, wide eyed

"Oh shit..." the evil hedgehog says, stepping back slowly.

"Hmph. You thought you could defeat me? By transforming into a monster?" Sonic shouts, his voice echoing, almost god-like. Leif looks at Sonic, then at the Master Emerald. He smirks as he figures out what he can do to level the playing field. The evil hedgehog absorbs energy from the Master Emerald, and takes on a hyper form like Sonic's. Sonic scowls, getting fed up with Leif's being able to keep up with him. The two fly at each other so fast that they can't be seen by the naked eye. They clash, coming into sight for a split second before disappearing again. The two begin clashing with Homing Attacks at random intervals. Sonic tricks Leif into going after him, only to dodge the evil hedgehog using Chaos Control. Leif flies into the remains of the Master Emerald's altar at Mach 8 speeds. Sonic follows, going to observe, what he hopes is, the body of his enemy. He sees Leif laying in the bottom of the crater made by the impact, motionless. The heroic hedgehog goes into the crater and stands over Leif's body, a ball of golden energy in his hand. Leif's eyes snap open, and the evil hedgehog leaps forward, holding out a Chaos Emerald. Blue mist seeps from Sonic's eyes as he slowly reverts back to his normal form. _N-No. I can't l-lose my mind like thi-..._Leif throws his enemy aside, taking a glance at his handiwork. Sonic lays limply in a crumpled heap, drool seeping from the edges of his mouth. Leif smirks as he disappears with the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald in a flash of light.

* * *

><p>Leif, back to his standard form from before the battle with Sonic and friends, stands in a large base, Chaos and Master Emeralds in tow. He smirks as a large metal door opens for him. The villainous hedgehog. He groans at a constant whirring, a sound he's heard all his life. Continuing on, he reaches a large antechamber where a shadowy figure sits, awaiting the hedgehog.<p>

"The troublesome hedgehog and his friends are out of the way?" the mysterious being asks in a businesslike manner.

"Yes, Master. I destroyed his friends, left the hedgehog completely mindless, and brought you the Master Emerald," Leif says, taking a knee subsirvently. The shadowed figure stands up, revealing himself to be the one and only Eggman.

"I knew that you could do it," the Doctor says coldly. He toys with his moustache like a clichéd movie villain. "Now that Sonic is out of the way, I can carry out my plans for world domination. Oh ho ho ho."

"Yes, Master," Leif says, lowering his eyes, almost ashamedly, "he believed our ruse so easily. Some make-up, a week of practicing the weak and crippled routine, and he fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

"True, true. I owe my empire to you, my greatest creation," Eggman says proudly.

"What is my reward, Master?" Leif asks. The Doctor stares at the hedgehog curiously.

"What reward? I made you to serve me, you answer to my will," he roars.

"WHAT? YOU LYING, CHEATING SONOVABITCH! I'll kill you," Leif says, coming to his feet as a red aura glows around him. Eggman takes out a small remote casually.

"I thought you'd get defiant. The Chaos Energy would override the mental conditioning. This remote can take you down, with just a press of the button. Obey, or you'll never see the light of day!" Eggman orders. Leif charges the Doctor, fists bared. Just before the hedgehog makes a punch, the mad scientist presses the button on the remote. The room is showered in red and silver liquid. Leif stops and reaches to feel his head, only to find nothing there. Leif's body tries to make a step forward, but falls flat on the ground, a gurgling sound being his last act of defiance. "Such a shame. I was hoping he'd be my heir." The Doctor shakes his head and claps his hands. Two EggPawns enter the room and salute their creator.

"What do you want of us, Master?" one of the robots asks. Eggman takes a moment to regain his composure, then responds.

"Take this body, throw it out somewhere where nobody will find it. Also, destroy the hedgehog's clones. Don't want to risk them becoming defiant too."

With that order, the remains of the Ultimate Warrior who defeated Sonic, Shadow, Tails, and Knuckles are carried away and thrown in an alley, made to look like a brutal homocide.

And so ends the story of Leif the Hedgehog, the algorithm of the most powerful beings in the world: Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles.


End file.
